We have been in a down economy for how many years now? Unemployment has
been high for many technical fields for some time and the last few years
has seen unemployment rise dramatically for electrical engineers. So
why aren't EEs asking their elected representatives why they continue
the H-1B visa program?
I think it is pretty much common knowledge that the H-1B visa program is
being used and abused as a way to in-source workers and directly replace
existing US workers from their jobs. How many here have lost a job to
an H-1B visa holder or knows someone who has?
I know dozens of affected US tech workers.
How many here have voiced their opinion to their US representatives?
I called up both my senators.. When I called the democratic senator's office, I was able
to talk with a legislative aid for about 10 minutes.. Note: the freshmen republican
senator office didn't answer the phone.
First major point.
The H-1B visa props up the once abandoned, defective (company town)/defacto indentured
servant business models.
Before H-1B, when a company used up of the available local talent.
It either retrained or re task'd existing employees(not happening).
Increased wages & benefits to acquire employees from other local employers(not happening).
Contracted highly paid specialists(consultants) to perform short term tasks (not
happening).
Hired older(>40yr) technology workers(not happening).
Opened up branch offices, (distribute work load), in other parts of the USA(also not
happening).
These foreign work visa's(H-1B, L-1x, F-1 opt) interfere with/defeat all these traditional
shortage mechanisms which would normally deprive these sociopath employers of their
victims.
Yes, some business are destined to fail. Employers do not have the right to abuse
employees and continue too exist.
H-1B enables these sociopathic employers, to depress wages via dozens of loopholes.
Typically by hiring for a lower paid entry level position, while assigning more difficult
advanced tasks, using forced unpaid overtime, and generally abusing workers.
Second major point.
Simple economic theory, of supply verses demand, dictates that increasing the numbers of
workers(Supply) automatically lowers wages(cost per unit) for the whole market.
In the past the high wages of tech workers, (disposable time & income), was the seed
corn for the tech industry, enabling them to become the early adopters of new tech. That
dynamic is now long gone.
Lastly, a successful US tech worker has already acquired significant fixed assets,
which may require significant price reduction in order to sell quickly. Incurring a
significant financial loss like that, may require five, maybe ten, years to recover from,
thus making such a move a non-option.
Third major point,
The US Government receives approximately 85% of it's tax revenue based on individual
income and Social security taxes(workers wages).
Depressing industry wide wage scales has a rippling effect through out the industry, and
beyond. These same depressed wages/income also result in significantly lower federal tax
receipts.
Congress by undercutting wages and income on a wholesale basis, is on a path to
oblivion. Notice the skyrocketing federal debt, a big chunk(several trillion dollars) of
that is due to past and present worker visa abuses.
If they continue(or accelerate) this self destructive, anti-social corporate behavior,
either they shift the government's tax burden onto these corps, or become insolvent.
